Colonel Menendez had appeared about nine o’clock. He exhibiting no traces of illness that were perceptible to me. But this subtle change which I had detected, or thought I had detected, was more marked in Madame Stämer than in any one. In her strange, still eyes I had read what I can only describe as a stricken look. It had none of the heroic resignation and acceptance of the inevitable3 which had so startled me in the face of the Colonel on the previous day. There was a bitterness in it, as of one who has made a great but unwilling4 sacrifice, and again I had found myself questing that faint but fugitive5 memory, conjured6 up by the eyes of Madame de Stämer.
Never had the shadow lain so darkly upon the house as it lay this morning with the sun blazing gladly out of a serene7 sky. The birds, the flowers, and Mother Earth herself bespoke8 the joy of summer. But beneath the roof of Cray’s Folly dwelt a spirit of unrest, of apprehension10. I thought of that queer lull11 which comes before a tropical storm, and I thought I read a knowledge of pending12 evil even in the glances of the servants.
I had spoken to Harley of this fear. He had smiled and nodded grimly, saying:
“Evidently, Knox, you have forgotten that to-night is the night of the full moon.”
It was in no easy state of mind, then, that I opened the gate and walked up to the porch of the Guest House. That the solution of the grand mystery of Cray’s Folly would automatically resolve these lesser13 mysteries I felt assured, and I was supported by the idea that a clue might lie here.
The house, which from the roadway had an air of neglect, proved on close inspection14 to be well tended, but of an unprosperous aspect. The brass15 knocker, door knob, and letter box were brilliantly polished, whilst the windows and the window curtains were spotlessly clean. But the place cried aloud for the service of the decorator, and it did not need the deductive powers of a Paul Harley to determine that Mr. Colin Camber was in straitened circumstances.
In response to my ringing the door was presently opened by Ah Tsong. His yellow face exhibited no trace of emotion whatever. He merely opened the door and stood there looking at me.
“Master no got,” crooned Ah Tsong.
He proceeded quietly to close the door again.
“One moment,” I said, “one moment. I wish, at any rate, to leave my card.”
Ah Tsong allowed the door to remain open, but:
“No usee palaber so fashion,” he said. “No feller comee here. Sabby?”
“I savvy17, right enough,” said I, “but all the same you have got to take my card in to Mr. Camber.”
I handed him a card as I spoke9, and suddenly addressing him in “pidgin,” of which, fortunately, I had a smattering:
“Belong very quick, Ah Tsong,” I said, sharply, “or plenty big trouble, savvy?”
“Sabby, sabby,” he muttered, nodding his head; and leaving me standing19 in the porch he retired20 along the sparsely21 carpeted hall.
This hall was very gloomily lighted, but I could see several pieces of massive old furniture and a number of bookcases, all looking incredibly untidy.
Rather less than a minute elapsed, I suppose, when from some place at the farther end of the hallway Mr. Camber appeared in person. He wore a threadbare dressing18 gown, the silken collar and cuffs22 of which were very badly frayed23. His hair was dishevelled and palpably he had not shaved this morning.
He was smoking a corncob pipe, and he slowly approached, glancing from the card which he held in his hand in my direction, and then back again at the card, with a curious sort of hesitancy. In spite of his untidy appearance I could not fail to mark the dignity of his bearing, and the almost arrogant24 angle at which he held his head.
“Mr—er—Malcolm Knox?” he began, fixing his large eyes upon me with a look in which I could detect no sign of recognition. “I am advised that you desire to see me?”
“That is so, Mr. Camber,” I replied, cheerily. “I fear I have interrupted your work, but as no other opportunity may occur of renewing an acquaintance which for my part I found extremely pleasant—”
“Of renewing an acquaintance, you say, Mr. Knox?”
“Yes.”
“Quite.” He looked me up and down critically. “To be sure, we have met before, I understand?”
“We met yesterday, Mr. Camber, you may recall. Having chanced to come across a contribution of yours of the Occult Review, I have availed myself of your invitation to drop in for a chat.”
His expression changed immediately and the sombre eyes lighted up.
“Ah, of course,” he cried, “you are a student of the transcendental. Forgive my seeming rudeness, Mr. Knox, but indeed my memory is of the poorest. Pray come in, sir; your visit is very welcome.”
He held the door wide open, and inclined his head in a gesture of curious old-world courtesy which was strange in so young a man. And congratulating myself upon the happy thought which had enabled me to win such instant favour, I presently found myself in a study which I despair of describing.
In some respects it resembled the lumber25 room of an antiquary, whilst in many particulars it corresponded to the interior of one of those second-hand26 bookshops which abound27 in the neighbourhood of Charing28 Cross Road. The shelves with which it was lined literally29 bulged30 with books, and there were books on the floor, books on the mantelpiece, and books, some open and some shut, some handsomely bound, and some having the covers torn off, upon every table and nearly every chair in the place.
Volume seven of Burton’s monumental “Thousand Nights and a Night” lay upon a littered desk before which I presumed Mr. Camber had been seated at the time of my arrival. Some wet vessel31, probably a cup of tea or coffee, had at some time been set down upon the page at which this volume was open, for it was marked with a dark brown ring. A volume of Fraser’s “Golden Bough32” had been used as an ash tray, apparently33, since the binding34 was burned in several places where cigarettes had been laid upon it.
In this interesting, indeed unique apartment, East met West, unabashed by Kipling’s dictum. Roman tear-vases and Egyptian tomb-offerings stood upon the same shelf as empty Bass35 bottles; and a hideous36 wooden idol37 from the South Sea Islands leered on eternally, unmoved by the presence upon his distorted head of a soft felt hat made, I believe, in Philadelphia.
Strange implements39 from early British barrows found themselves in the company of Thugee daggers40 There were carved mammals’ tusks41 and snake emblems42 from Yucatan; against a Chinese ivory model of the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas44 rested a Coptic crucifix made from a twig45 of the Holy Rose Tree. Across an ancient Spanish coffer was thrown a Persian rug into which had been woven the monogram46 of Shah-Jehan and a text from the Koran. It was easy to see that Mr. Colin Camber’s studies must have imposed a severe strain upon his purse.
“Sit down, Mr. Knox, sit down,” he said, sweeping47 a vellum-bound volume of Eliphas Levi from a chair, and pushing the chair forward. “The visit of a fellow-student is a rare pleasure for me. And you find me, sir,” he seated himself in a curious, carved chair which stood before the desk, “you find me engaged upon enquiries, the result of which will constitute chapter forty-two of my present book. Pray glance at the contents of this little box.”
He placed in my hands a small box of dark wood, evidently of great age. It contained what looked like a number of shrivelled beans.
“You are puzzled?” he said, with a kind of boyish triumph, which lighted up his face, which rejuvenated49 him and gave me a glimpse of another man. “These, sir,” he touched the shrivelled objects with a long, delicate forefinger51 “are seeds of the sacred lotus of Ancient Egypt. They were found in the tomb of a priest.”
“And in what way do they bear upon the enquiry to which you referred, Mr. Camber?”
“In this way,” he replied, drawing toward him a piece of newspaper upon which rested a mound52 of coarse shag. “I maintain that the vital principle survives within them. Now, I propose to cultivate these seeds, Mr. Knox. Do you grasp the significance, of this experiment?”
He knocked out the corn-cob upon the heel of his slipper53 and began to refill the hot bowl with shag from the newspaper at his elbow.
“From a physical point of view, yes,” I replied, slowly. “But I should not have supposed such an experiment to come within the scope of your own particular activities, Mr. Camber.”
“Ah,” he returned, triumphantly54, at the same time stuffing tobacco into the bowl of the corn-cob, “it is for this very reason that chapter forty-two of my book must prove to be the hub of the whole, and the whole, Mr. Knox, I am egotist enough to believe, shall establish a new focus for thought, an intellectual Rome bestriding and uniting the Seven Hills of Unbelief.”
He lighted his pipe and stared at me complacently55.
Whilst I had greatly revised my first estimate of the man, my revisions had been all in his favour. Respecting his genius my first impression was confirmed. That he was ahead of his generation, perhaps a new Galileo, I was prepared to believe. He had a pride of bearing which I think was partly racial, but which in part, too, was the insignia of intellectual superiority. He stood above the commonplace, caring little for the views of those around and beneath him. From vanity he was utterly56 free. His was strangely like the egotism of true genius.
“Now, sir,” he continued, puffing57 furiously at his corn-cob, “I observed you glancing a moment ago at this volume of the ‘Golden Bough.’” He pointed58 to the scarred book which I have already mentioned. “It is a work of profound scholarship. But having perused59 its hundreds of pages, what has the student learned? Does he know why the twenty-sixth chapter of the ‘Book of the dead’ was written upon lapis-lazuli, the twenty-seventh upon green felspar, the twenty-ninth upon cornelian, and the thirtieth upon serpentine60? He does not. Having studied Part Four, has he learned the secret of why Osiris was a black god, although he typified the Sun? Has he learned why modern Christianity is losing its hold upon the nations, whilst Buddhism61, so called, counts its disciples62 by millions? He has not. This is because the scholar is rarely the seer.”
“I quite agree with you,” I said, thinking that I detected the drift of his argument.
“Very well,” said he. “I am an American citizen, Mr. Knox, which is tantamount to stating that I belong to the greatest community of traders which has appeared since the Phoenicians overran the then known world. America has not produced the mystic, yet Judæa produced the founder63 of Christianity, and Gautama Buddha43, born of a royal line, established the creed64 of human equity65. In what way did these magicians, for a miracle-worker is nothing but a magician, differ from ordinary men? In one respect only: They had learned to control that force which we have to-day termed Will.”
As he spoke those words Colin Camber directed upon me a glance from his luminous66 eyes which frankly67 thrilled me. The bemused figure of the Lavender Arms was forgotten. I perceived before me a man of power, a man of extraordinary knowledge and intellectual daring. His voice, which was very beautiful, together with his glance, held me enthralled68.
“What we call Will,” he continued, “is what the Ancient Egyptians called Khu. It is not mental: it is a property of the soul. At this point, Mr. Knox, I depart from the laws generally accepted by my contemporaries. I shall presently propose to you that the eye of the Divine Architect literally watches every creature upon the earth.”
“Literally?”
“Literally, Mr. Knox. We need no images, no idols69, no paintings. All power, all light comes from one source. That source is the sun! The sun controls Will, and the Will is the soul. If there were a cavern70 in the earth so deep that the sun could never reach it, and if it were possible for a child to be born in that cavern, do you know what that child would be?”
“Almost certainly blind,” I replied; “beyond which my imagination fails me.”
“What!” I cried, and was momentarily touched with the fear that this was a brilliant madman.
“Listen,” he said, and pointed with the stem of his pipe. “Why, in all ancient creeds72, is Hades depicted73 as below? For the simple reason that could such a spot exist and be inhabited, it must be sunless, when it could only be inhabited by devils; and what are devils but creatures without souls?”
“You mean that a child born beyond reach of the sun’s influence would have no soul?”
“Such is my meaning, Mr. Knox. Do you begin to see the importance of my experiment with the lotus seeds?”
I shook my head slowly. Whereupon, laying his corn-cob upon the desk, Colin Camber burst into a fit of boyish laughter, which seemed to rejuvenate50 him again, which wiped out the image of the magus completely, and only left before me a very human student of strange subjects, and withal a fascinating companion.
“I fear, sir,” he said, presently, “that my steps have led me farther into the wilderness74 than it has been your fate to penetrate75. The whole secret of the universe is contained in the words Day and Night, Darkness and Light. I have studied both the light and the darkness, deliberately76 and without fear. A new age is about to dawn, sir, and a new age requires new beliefs, new truths. Were you ever in the country of the Hill Dyaks?”
“You refer to the Borneo hill-country?”
“Precisely.”
“No, I was never there.”
Standing up, he crossed to a cabinet littered untidily with all sorts of strange-looking objects, carved bones, queer little inlaid boxes, images, untidy manuscripts, and what-not.
He took up what looked like a very ungainly tobacco-pipe, made of some rich brown wood, and, handing it to me:
“Examine this, Mr. Knox,” he said, the boyish smile of triumph returning again to his face.
I did as he requested and made no discovery of note. The thing clearly was not intended for a pipe. The stem was soiled and, moreover, there was carving78 inside the bowl. So that presently I returned it to him, shaking my head.
“Unless one should be informed of the properties of this little instrument,” he declared, “discovery by experiment is improbable. Now, note.”
He struck the hollow of the bowl upon the palm of his hand, and it delivered a high, bell-like note which lingered curiously. Then:
“Note again.”
He made a short striking motion with the thing, similar to that which one would employ who had designed to jerk something out of the bowl. And at the very spot on the floor where any object contained in the bowl would have fallen, came a reprise of the bell note! Clearly, from almost at my feet, it sounded, a high, metallic79 ring.
He struck upward, and the bell-note sounded on the ceiling; to the right, and it came from the window; in my direction, and the tiny bell seemed to ring beside my ear! I will honestly admit that I was startled, but:
“Dyak magic,” said Colin Camber; “one of nature’s secrets not yet discovered by conventional Western science. It was known to the Egyptian priesthood, of course; hence the Vocal80 Memnon. It was known to Madame Blavatsky, who employed an ‘astral bell’; and it is known to me.”
He returned the little instrument to its place upon the cabinet.
“I wonder if the fact will strike you as significant,” said he, “that the note which you have just heard can only be produced between sunrise and sunset?”
Without giving me time to reply:
“The most notable survival of black magic—that is, the scientific employment of darkness against light—is to be met with in Haiti and other islands of the West Indies.”
“You are referring to Voodooism?” I said, slowly.
He nodded, replacing his pipe between his teeth.
“A subject, Mr. Knox, which I investigated exhaustively some years ago.”
I was watching him closely as he spoke, and a shadow, a strange shadow, crept over his face, a look almost of exaltation—of mingled81 sorrow and gladness which I find myself quite unable to describe.
“In the West Indies, Mr. Knox,” he continued, in a strangely altered voice, “I lost all and found all. Have you ever realized, sir, that sorrow is the price we must pay for joy?”
I did not understand his question, and was still wondering about it when I heard a gentle knock, the door opened, and a woman came in.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
folly
|
|
| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
unwilling
|
|
| adj.不情愿的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
fugitive
|
|
| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
conjured
|
|
| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
bespoke
|
|
| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
apprehension
|
|
| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
lull
|
|
| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
pending
|
|
| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
lesser
|
|
| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
inspection
|
|
| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
brass
|
|
| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
enquired
|
|
| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
savvy
|
|
| v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
dressing
|
|
| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
retired
|
|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
sparsely
|
|
| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
cuffs
|
|
| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
frayed
|
|
| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
arrogant
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
lumber
|
|
| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
second-hand
|
|
| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
abound
|
|
| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
charing
|
|
| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bulged
|
|
| 凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
bough
|
|
| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
binding
|
|
| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
bass
|
|
| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
hideous
|
|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
idol
|
|
| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
implement
|
|
| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
implements
|
|
| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
daggers
|
|
| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
tusks
|
|
| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
emblems
|
|
| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
Buddha
|
|
| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
Buddhas
|
|
| n.佛，佛陀，佛像( Buddha的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
twig
|
|
| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
monogram
|
|
| n.字母组合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
rejuvenated
|
|
| 更生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
rejuvenate
|
|
| v.(使)返老还童；(使)恢复活力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
forefinger
|
|
| n.食指 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
mound
|
|
| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
slipper
|
|
| n.拖鞋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
triumphantly
|
|
| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
complacently
|
|
| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
puffing
|
|
| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
perused
|
|
| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
serpentine
|
|
| adj.蜿蜒的，弯曲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
Buddhism
|
|
| n.佛教（教义） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
disciples
|
|
| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
Founder
|
|
| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
creed
|
|
| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
equity
|
|
| n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
frankly
|
|
| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
enthralled
|
|
| 迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
idols
|
|
| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
cavern
|
|
| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
demon
|
|
| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
creeds
|
|
| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
depicted
|
|
| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
wilderness
|
|
| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
penetrate
|
|
| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
abrupt
|
|
| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
carving
|
|
| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
metallic
|
|
| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
vocal
|
|
| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
mingled
|
|
| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |